The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-07-29
Horse Meat In Paris.
now THE PoruLACE GATHERS ur AND
CARRIES OFF AN UNLUoKY CiEvAL.


CARRIES orr AN UNLUoKY CnEvAL
was told that dead horse was not
by any means dead loss in Paris, and
l accepted this statement as tho only
reasonable explanation ! could discover
OF the really destructive cruelty with
which Que constantly sees these poor
animals treated. / was directed to
shops where vidnde de checal ia frank
ly sold. went TO a restaurant where
l was assured that this delicacy would
infallibly be served up to me for beef
steak, and it was. But still | was un-
able to grasp the idea of the horse as
an established fact in food-a coveted
article of diet--until one night when
had ocular proof Of the supplementary
career of usefulness upon which this
faithful servant of man only enters
when he has toiled his last weary
course over the slippery pavements of
the capital of Europe.
We had been wandering away from
the great tAoroughfare, OF you are
in search of characteristic glimpses of
Partisan life you will do well to keep
away from the Bois, the great boulev-
ards, and the Lights, where the tourist
is sure to be with you, armed with his
little red "Baedeker' and skipping
briskly from point to poin., slipping in
form ,tion from the catalogue and the
guide book.)
We had turned off from the Rue du
Temple into q street SO narrow that
we seemed to have dropped into a
crack between the tall, grim, smoke
blackened old houses that loomed on
either side. This "crack' was endow-
ed with alleged sidewalks. They were
about fifteen inches wide and looked
like an indefinitely protracted doorstep.
No mortal but the thin man of muse
um could possibly walk on them. We
eschewed them and trotted contentedly
through the middle or the street with
the rest of the populace.
The small shops along the way
were alight and so were the lamps, al
though overhead the tops OF the high
houses and the quaint, irregular roofs,
with their picturesque chimney-pots
were still flushed with a sunset light
the color of the pink anemones from
Nice that were piled up on so many of
the flower barrows along the boule-
wards.
We passed the vendors of n,arrons
rotss, who appear to grow in the angles
of walls, so surely do you find them
established there, with their little
smoking furnaces and bag of shining
chestnuts. We glanced at the stall Of
the woman who stands all day frying
potatoes to warm, brown crispness.
At the evening hour she has many
customers, men, women and children.
We stopped to watch them, but direct
ly perceived that a little further along
the street quite crowd had gathered,
and we fastened to add ourselves to
the multitude.
Reaching the edge of the motley
throng, we climbed upon a bench
standing in front of lavoir and look
ed over the heads of the people. After
all, 1t was only poor horse dropped
dead in his tracks-no uncommon
sight. l stepped down and turned to
go, but Sketchem clutched my sleeve
and cried, "Wait," l got back into
position and looked. Several men
were tugging at the beast; dragging
him on to large cart-a sort of ami
NAL ambulance. The wagon he had
lately drawn stood by, with empty
harness. Presently they had him in
place, on his back, with his hoofs kick.
ing at heaven.
Then sturdy, red-cheeked, black
eyed fellow, picturesque in the lamp
light and the blaze of torch fixed at
the tail of the cart, appeared on the
scene. A brown woollen cap was
pushed far back on his head, the sleeves
of his blue blouse were rolled tc his
shoulders. He jumped upon the gray
carcass and stood grasping one of the
stiffening legs. He smiled at the
eager-looking crowd, and his white
teeth shone in the torch-glare. caught
also the gleam of long, bright knife
in his hand. He fell into a sort of an
address over-C@sar's body attitude. SIS
he going to deliver an grafton on the
virtues and vicissitudes of the defunct
beast, or is he about to hold clinic in
the street p
l turned with a smile and this ques-
tion to Sketchem, who was too busy
with pencil and paper to heed me, and
l felt the smile whitening on my lips
as the meaning of this extraordinary
spectacle dawned upon me.
| had seen enough. slipped down
and sat on the bench as the people
pressed forward, literally clamoring to
be served from this impromptu butch
er's shop with various cuts of viamde
de cheval.
Undoubtedly the creature had died
from the same ultimate cause as did
Jennie Wren in the nursery rhyme,
but what disorders or disasters had
led to this fatal condition none of the
eager purchasers of his still warm flesh
seemed to feel in the least concerned
HAYES PERCY in " Y.
World.